Butter and Orange Juice
by IsisIzabel
Summary: *TV Series Fic* Post Season 1; Nate and Jenny do a little bonding. Nate/Jenny friendship. One-Shot; possible series.


**Butter and Orange Juice**

By: IsisIzabel

Surprise didn't begin to cover what Jenny felt as she opened the door. Her jaw dropped, forming a petite and decidedly feminine 'O'. She blinked several times; unsure of what he was doing at her door at eight in the morning.

He looked impossibly handsome at such an early hour, his jeans designer and his simply gray pullover made his bright blue eyes seem even paler. Even his shoes cost more than her entire outfit…

… which at the moment consisted of a thin, lilac colored t-shirt and a pair of Eyore pajama pants, decorated with the morose purple donkey. Jenny felt her cheeks stain crimson as she self-consciously took a step back. "Uh, hey, Nate."

Nate's smile was brilliant and white, illuminating the doorway. "Hey." His eyes swept over her, amused to see her sleep-tousled appearance. "Is this a bad time?"

"I—" Jenny turned her head to the interior of the loft and she remembered Dan was eating breakfast with Vanessa and her dad was still touring. Her head snapped around to meet Nate's gaze. She smiled tentatively and moved back from the door. "No, no. It's fine. Come on in."

Nate hesitated, his eyebrows arching. "You're sure?"

She waved him in, her grin genuine. "Of course. I'm just still half-asleep."

He smiled sheepishly and crossed her threshold, his head down. "Yeah, I forgot. I guess it is early."

Jenny shut the door and turned, bracing her back against it. "Which begs the question, what are you doing here?"

Nate walked to the middle of the room and turned, his eyes perusing the space of the loft. "This is nice. I've never been in here."

Jenny snorted and padded towards the kitchen. "Right. Nate Archibald thinks my loft is _nice_."

He flinched slightly at her reference to the fact he was accustomed to much nicer, much pricier surroundings. "No, really. It's a great space."

Jenny made it to the refrigerator and tossed him a rueful look before shaking her head. "What's going on, Nate?" She reached for the orange juice on the second shelf.

Nate walked over to the kitchen and eased himself onto a barstool. "I need your help."

Jenny nearly dropped the carton. "_My_ help? She squeaked.

He smiled, his dimples deepening. "Yeah. If you don't mind."

She pulled a glass out of the cabinet and poured the juice in. "I'll do what I can," she answered, truthfully.

Over the past few months, since the night of Blair's birthday party, she and Nate had formed a tenuous friendship. A friendship she'd seriously put on the line nearly four weeks before when she'd asked him to bail her out of an impossible situation by going to dinner.

But Nate came through like the proverbial knight in shining armor, charming Penelope and Hazel for nearly two hours at _Butter_. He had dropped her off at her building, going as far as to walk her to the doorstep, pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead, and murmuring "Happy birthday" before leaving.

And the best she could offer was a simple "Thanks" the next day at school. If there was any way she could repay the debt she owed him, she would.

Jenny held up the carton. "Want some?"

"Sure," Nate agreed easily, watching carefully as Jenny poured him a glass. He took a drink when she set it before him.

"So, what do you need my help with?" She tilted her head to the side, intrigued.

Nate traced the rim of the glass with his index finger. He took a deep breath and plunged in, "Vanessa."

"Vanessa?" Jenny's brow wrinkled. "Vanessa? My brother's best friend? That Vanessa?"

He chuckled. "The one and the same."

"OK," she drawled slowly, "I'm still not getting it."

"We were … seeing each other for about two weeks—"

Jenny's brows arched and she leaned forward, her smile quick. "You were?"

Now it was Nate's turn to send her a questioning look. "I'm not sure how you missed that one. The old Jenny would have known before Gossip Girl had it posted."

Jenny had the decency to blush. "Yeah, well, I've been kind of grounded." She lifted her gaze to meet his. "And I didn't really like the 'old Jenny'."

Nate nodded slowly, his expression anything but accusing. "I see."

"So tell me about you and Vanessa—Dan never tells me anything." Jenny grinned over at him.

"Well, we'd hang out and we went to the movies—I even took her to Serena's mom's wedding. But when I took her out to dinner last week, she seemed … I don't know … distant? When I dropped her off. I tried calling her when I got home, but all I got was her voicemail. She finally called me back and said it was better if we started seeing other people."

Jenny studied him for a moment. "Where did you go to dinner?"

Nate frowned. "What does that have to do—"

She held up a hand, effectively stopping him. "Trust me. Where'd you go?"

"_Butter_."

Jenny ducked her head, trying to hide her laughter, but a giggle bubbled to the surface. She glanced up to meet Nate's gaze and snorted.

He watched her, baffled and amused. "I don't get it."

"Nate, Vanessa isn't really the kind of girl who goes to _Butter_ or goes to _InStyle_'s wedding-of-the-year. She's the kind of girl who grabs a hotdog from the corner vendor. That sort of thing."

"So, you think she didn't like going out to dinner there?"

Jenny came around the bar and settled into the stool beside him, their knees touching. She placed a hand on his arm. "Vanessa is a girl that hates all things rich and ostentatious. She likes it simple—jeans and a walk in the park. You don't have to impress her."

Nate smirked. "I thought all girls liked to be impressed."

She grinned. "Not Vanessa. I've known her since I was a little girl, and she's never made it a secret how she feels about the Upper East Side."

He shook his head ruefully. "Right. So if I wanted to make it up to her …"

"Do something … easy, but romantic." Jenny considered for a moment. "Maybe a picnic in Central Park?"

Nate nodded slowly. "That could work." He frowned. "If she answers my phone call."

Jenny shrugged. "Well, I could call her and ask her to meet me in the park, and you could just … be there instead."

"You'd do that?"

Her smile was easy and genuine. "Sure. We're friends, right?"

Nate dimpled and nodded. "Yeah."

Jenny hopped off the barstool. "The consider it done."

Chuckling, he stood up from the barstool. "I really appreciate it, Jenny."

She shrugged her petite shoulder and flipped her hair back with an exaggerated sigh. "Well, I guess the least I can do is help you two kids get together."

Nate's chuckle exploded into a full belly laugh. His shoulders were still shaking as he started for the door. He hesitated, his hand on the knob as he turned back to her. "Thanks again, Jenny."

She pursed her lips and shuffled forward a few feet. "You know, you really came through for me on my birthday. I mean, you put up with Penelope and Hazel after you warned me what they were really like… I really appreciated that."

He shrugged with a small smile. "I'm glad I could help you out – without jeopardizing my bank account balance." He winked at her.

Jenny laughed softly. "You're a good friend, Nate. Vanessa's lucky to have you." She closed the distance between them and reached up to hug him.

It was the second time Jenny had pulled him into a hug, and this time he expected it and returned her hug warmly. For a moment, he envied Dan and the relationship he had with Jenny. Nate had always been alone as a child and often wished for a little brother.

Maybe a little sister would have been better.


End file.
